Heart of the Heartless
by Longstrider
Summary: Kai Simens from AU is thrown into the universe of Shingeki no Kyojin by a stranger who claims to have worked with her on Levi's squad. Kai meets Levi and discovers the logue takes place After No Regrets, but before Petra, Gunther and the rest are recruited to be on Levi's Squad. Rated M for gore and language etc.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hello, ^.^ I hope you like this fanfic. For now I will post the prologue. When I finish the actual fanfic I will post the rest of the chapters. I have gotten tired of writing fanfics then not finishing them. It's a bad habit. **

**If you have read the couple of chapters of Band of Misfortunes, then good for you. I have a new chapter for that fanfic, but I probably won't post it because my characters may seem mary-sueish at 1st to some. I'll explain in more detail if I change my mind and post that chapter. Otherwise it probably won't be finished unless I rewrite the whole thing. Any who, Disclaimer: I DON'T own any of the Snk/AOT characters, places etc, only my OC's.**

** There is a bit of language...go figure buts that's only because to get as close to the characters as possible in the AOT/SNKish fashion. Hopefully it doesn't present itself as awkward. I haven't any OC's ships with the other characters in mind sooo...yeah. BTW you might want a tissue or two if you're sensitive to death scenes...oops can't say more. Now read! (|.|)/**

**Prologue:**

The rain pelleted her face as she flew through the air. Kai eyes darted throughout the forest for any titan that lingered. The remainder of her squad had dwindled down to a few after the second run in with titans. Their numbers had been overwhelming.

"Kai! There's a titan to your left!"

"Huh?" Kai twisted in the gear in time to see a five meter titan reaching towards her. She dodged the hand and shot the anchors of the 3DMG into a nearby tree. A trail of steam followed her as she whipped up and around the titan. She arched her blades down through the titan's fleshy neck. The titan fell, as she regrouped with the remaining members of her squad. She glanced down at an olive skinned male with a crew cut.

"Thanks Wesley, I don't know where I would be without you."

Wesley looked at her and smirked. "In that titan's stomach of course."

"Shut up. I don't need you to make my day any more depressing." Kai averted her gaze from him to the figure not too far up ahead. "I wonder what Heichou does to cope with death."

"He doesn't have to. I don't think he really cares for that kind of crap."

Kai gritted her teeth. "Surely he can't be that heartless. I mean, he seems to care about us, right?"

Wesley was silent. Kai could hear the whining of the gear next to her.

"Right?" She repeated herself.

"Listen Kai, all that matters right now is that we get our job done. That means finishing the mission. Just keep your mind focused on that right now. I'm not going to act as your eyes anymore. I have to watch out for myself too ya know. We can't let those who have died be in vain."

Kai snorted. "Fine, mister wise-guy. I'll pay up once we get out of this nightmare, but first don't let those eyes of your let you down." As she finished, she sped up in the air. There was a boom and a sudden burst of a flock of birds from the treetops up ahead. A red flare had been fired. The red smoke formed a lazy column up in the sky.

Kai sighed. _**"This never gets old. How many will it be this time? Three? I wonder which direction they are heading."**_She waited for the green flare to be fired. **"**_**Come on baby. Where are you? Where is that green flare from the Commander?"**_

Levi glanced over his shoulder, before landing on a branch. Kai followed his example with Wesley on her heels. Levi slid one of his blades into the holster under his arm.

"Why hasn't the green flare been fired? The target has been spotted right?" Wesley inquired as he landed sideways on the tree.

"Of course it's been spotted." Kai voiced. "It's just taking him a while to fire it. Perhaps they ran into a little trouble? Heichou?" She looked at him.

Levi didn't appear to be concerned. His usual blank stare studied the sky, waiting.

Kai rolled her eyes. "Let's hope it's not a deviant." She took off, leaving her squad behind. It was a hunch, but she felt that it would be best to act off of instinct rather than wait around regardless of the consequences that Levi would bestow.

_**"Besides what's the worse he could give? A month's worth of chores? Wrong, more like getting locked in a cell for a couple of days and then cooking for a month. Man, I hate cooking! I don't understand the whole cleaning bit. Yeah, he's a bit of a clean freak, but he has other qualities too."**_

_ "_Oi!Kai! Where are you going?! You need to wait!" Wesley hollered after her.

Kai glimpsed over her shoulder in time to see Wesley be stopped by Levi. "Next time wise-guy! It's time to end the nightmare!"

Steam curled off of Kai, as she carved through titan's flesh. The wet swooshing sound of blood shooting up from the fatal flesh wound, vibrated in her ears. It was a sickening sound that gave her no pleasure.

She leapt and flew through the air before landing on the head of another titan. She studied herself and stared at her stained blades. "Do you guys realize how difficult it is to clean the blood off of these blades when it doesn't fully evaporate?" She waited out the silence as if to give the titan a chance to talk. "I don't think you would care. After all, all you do is linger about while scaring the crap out of us human beings. Doesn't get to be boring eventually?"

The titan raised its hands to snatch her from its head. "How about I cure your boredom before it gets out hand." She vaulted high enough to dodge its hands.

Kai aimed before releasing her blades from its holders. The blades flew down into the titan's eyes. Quickly she inserted two new blades and slashed downward at the titan's neck. "See, cured for good." She ran her tongue around her mouth tasting blood. She spat out the titan blood. "Your blood doesn't taste any better than ours." She remarked with disgust. Blood seeped off her blades as she flung them back. She jumped off the titan as it faltered.

She landed on the ground like a spider descending from its web. She looked back at the crumbled form of the titan. Steam rising from the carcass, seemed to be hushed by the heavy rain.

Kai pulled her hood over her wet hair. "No point in getting sick from this weather." She muttered under her breath.

She glanced up to see if Levi or Wesley were around. "I guess I'm on my own for now." She concluded.

She walked towards the carcass. _Scrrreeetch_! The cords shot out and lifted her into the air. "No, point in being titan 'food' on the ground." She commented as she flew. "If Hanji were here she would automatically correct me; she would say, 'titans don't eat us, they don't have a digestive system'. I hate it when she does that. At first, sure it's fine but after the first ten times, yeah, that's when it gets to be annoying."

Kai glanced down at her dirtied reflection in one of her blades. "Look at me, complaining away. The others wouldn't hear it, they would shut me down before I had another chance to utter another word, which is good I suppose, but isn't there a time a girl can vent a little?"

During her little rant, Kai failed to see a titan emerge behind her. It bulbous eyes jutted out from its elongated misshaped face. It was scrawny compared to most titans that she had encountered that day. When it spotted her, it ran towards her with its arms flung back the way like sleeves on a jacket fly back when it is hanging on for dear life.

Kai's attention jerked to the titan, the moment its running could be heard. She momentarily froze up. She swerved towards a tree and didn't notice it until the last moment. She panicked and veered to the left a split second before impact. She cast a quick look to the titan's position; it was almost on her.

It reached for her; its fingers wrapping around her lower half. Kai's instincts kicked in. She sliced and hacked at its fingers until she was free. Pain throttled up her legs. She clenched her teeth as it surged.

**"**_**Are they broken? I can't move as well as I could if they are. The gear will almost be useless."**_ As if on cue, the gear huffed one last puff of steam. **"**_**No, I can't be out of gas now!"**_ Her eyes widened. She started to plummet downwards.

The titan ignored the fact that its hand was steaming and continued to try and catch Kai. Its mouth opened as it leapt towards Kai.

Kai screamed as its other hand slammed into her. She flew back and hit a tree. Something cracked, and she most certainly doubted it was the tree. She found it difficult to regain her breath, as it became ragged.

The titan went on all fours like a hungry dog. It crawled towards her with salvia dripping from the corner of its mouth.

Kai tasted blood. She still held onto the blades. She looked at them before turning her full attention to the titan.

**"**_**It's all my fault. I am too weak, too naïve. I should've ignored my gut feeling, but how could I have been wrong? I wasn't in the wrong; I did the right thing. Only, I failed to keep my focus on the mission instead of myself. "**_Kai felt a lump of blood in the back of her throat. It led to repulsive coughing. Blood dripped from her chin.

**"**_**Now I will pay, just as Wesley implied to earlier, only in an unexpected way. Man, if I ever see him again. I'm going to tell him that he was right…..then again naahh. He doesn't need his pride blown out of proportion again."**_She smiled grimly as she remembered the last time he had issues with his pride.

"_**I was hoping that I would live long enough to marry and grow old. Well, I blew that out of the water when I joined the Survey Corps. I remember as little girl I would boldly look into the 'face of death' and declare victory over it. It was a piece of cake then, but now I realize how foolish I was as a child.**_

_**Is this what Sandra, Logan, and Vicente felt like when they died today? Did they think about their lives? Poor Wesley. He's the only one subordinating members from our squad to survive. Heichou, no, Levi will have to find new squad members to replace us. Would he even care that we died? Would he be that heartless? Has all of this slaughter turned him to be insensitive to everything else?"**_

The titan lunged at her with its mouth open a second time. Kai felt herself rolled out of the way. The titan took a bite out of the tree.

_**"What am I doing? There's no need to prolong this pain. Death is inevitable now."**_She watched in horror as the titan spat out the chunk of wood. She closed her eyes. _**"I don't want to see how this ends. I did my job until the end."**_She let herself go limp on the wet muddy ground.

Something slammed into the earth close to her. Warm steam curled around her body. It was quiet, oddly quiet. Then there was the whirling of 3DMG nearby. Kai felt her heart beat quicken. There were footsteps approaching her.

Someone wrapped an arm around her and held her up partially. They brushed her bangs out of her face.

"Tch, what a mess." The voice was familiar to her.

"Cap-tain?" Kai opened her eyes to see Levi holding her. His image faltered.

"Is… Wesley with you?" She inquired weakly.

"No, but he should be here soon."

Kai released on her grip of the blades. She reached towards his face. "I don't think I can last that long. I'm in pretty bad shape." She smiled weakly. "I'm glad that I got…." She coughed. "To see someone familiar before going…. I didn't think you cared about us…about me."

Levi placed his hand into the hand which she extended. "Kai, you did well today. Everyone fought with the best of their abilities. I swear to you–"

"KAI!" Wesley landed quickly a couple feet from them and dashed towards them. He kneeled beside her. "Is she going to be ok?!"

"Wesley." Kai's hand slipped from Levi's and reached for Wesley. "I'm sorry, mister wise guy. I can't reimburse you." She smiled grimly. "Please forgive me. I didn't pay heed to your advice."

"No, Kai we're going to get you through this. I'll make sure of it."

"Her lungs have been punctured, and her legs have been shattered." Levi replied quietly.

"Wesley, please let—"

"No." Wesley shook his head.

"You have to keep your mind on the mission. Remember? That's what you said. That's what you need to do now, in order to survive."

"Wesley, listen to her. We can't stay here much longer. This place will be overrun with titans soon." Levi replied.

Wesley shot a glare at him. "How do you know?"

Levi stared at him. "Trust me on this."

"Trust you! Like hell, I'll trust you! All you do is keep details from us!" Wesley stood up and lowered his blade to Levi's throat. It barely touched his skin.

"Aldridge, remove your blade,—"

More blood seeped onto Kai's lips. She lowered her hand. Her eyes focused on Levi. Tears dripped down the side of her face. Her voice was small now. "I'm sorry. Goodbye, Levi, Wesley–" Her blue pupils seemed to glaze as she faded away.

"Kai?" Wesley lowered his blade. He dropped it and kneeled. He scooped up her body from Levi. He rocked her limp corpse. "Noo! Don't leave me here!"

Levi stood up and wiped his bloodied hands on a handkerchief which he kept on his person. "Aldridge, it's time to go."

Wesley ignored him and continued to cradle Kai's corpse.

Levi glared at him. "Don't let Kai's life be in vain. She wouldn't want you to stay here."

Wesley stopped. Levi could see the young man's body shuddering.

"I don't know what she was thinking," Wesley began slowly. "She believed that somehow you cared about her. I don't see how though." Wesley looked at him.

Levi drew his blades. "I swore that I wouldn't let my friends die in vain. Their spirits keeps me fighting to this day. Kai's spirit will give us strength we need to exterminate these beasts."

"Heichou."

**A/N: So what did you think? Let me know in the Reviews! ^.^ I hope you enjoyed it. I will try and finish the rest in the next couple of months. I'm currently working on chapter 6, I believe. Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 1 For Fruit

**A/N: Okay, I know I said I wasn't going update on chapters until this story was finished, but I decided to at least publish one more chapter before waiting.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Attack on Titan, characters, places, etc. Or Hitman Reborn. (It is mentioned once in this chapter) I only own OC's. **

**I edited this chapter several times so it's not hot off the press. Hopefully it is error free. I don't know what else to say other than enjoy this chapter! ^.^ Longstrider out!**

Chapter 1 For Fruit

"Dammit! I'm going to be late!" Kai tossed her duffle bag into the backseat of the car. Kai slammed the car door and then climbed into the driver seat of the Honda CRV. She inserted her keys. The car's engine roared like a lion. Kai jammed the remainder of her chocolate muffin into her mouth.

She looked into the rearview mirror and inspected her make up. Dark eye shadow contoured her nose, giving it the illusion of it being hawk-like. She tried smiling in the mirror. Her dark eye makeup still made her look like she was either really tired or she was about to beat the crap out some poor soul. Personally she felt like both.

Kai readjusted the rearview mirror to the angle of her preference. She dug into her pockets for her cellphone. The screen lite to life with the time, 6:30 A.M. Kai growled at the time and then tossed the phone at the passenger seat.

"A wizard always arrives precisely when he means too, I mean when she means to." She said partially quoting Gandalf. "I'll just say I was fulfilling my role as Annie." She scoffed.

Kai shifted into reversed gear and backed out of the driveway. She let the wheel slide through her hands, before shifting the gears to drive.

The yellow light transitioned to red. Kai braked. Her music was cranked up to twelve. She glanced at the phone in the passenger seat. A red light blinked at her.

"I bet that's Andra. She would text me about now."

As if on cue, the phone hummed on the seat. Kai grabbed the phone and slid the top part of the phone to access the keyboard. She selected the text message. It read:

**"Make sure u have cash 4 the entry way 4 the park. Plz be wearin ur glasses. BTW Bert is also runnin behind 2. Oh, don't get into a car wreck. ^.^"**

Kai sighed. "Bert? When did she start calling us like we were the actual characters?"

The light turned green. HONK! The car behind her blared its horn again. Kai pressed on the gas. She held the phone with one hand.

"I need to pull over and text her or call her on speaker." She debated over her options. "I'll just call, it's easier and I won't be any later." She pressed the call button and put it on speaker. She set the phone on the dash and let it ring.

"Hello? This is Hanji speaking." There was giggling in the background.

"Andra, it's Kai. I'm–"

"Annie! Aren't you supposed to be driving?"

"Yes, I am. You're on speaker phone. I'm–"

"Wearing your glasses right?" Andra interrupted again.

Kai gripped the steering wheel tighter. "Andra! Please. Yes, I mean no. I'm not, but I will eventually. I'm terrible with keeping up with them."

There was a pause on the other side, then a muffle of voices. Andra's came back loud and clear. "I've noticed." Her voice purred. "Have you had a lot on your mind lately?"

"I prefer not to talk about that." Kai made a turn onto a new street. "Listen, things just have been rough. I've been going through a lot of transition and my brother's death hasn't helped any."

"We've all been through some rocky times, with college and work. By the way where are you now?" Her voice perked with curiosity.

Kai leaned over in her seat to see the street sign. "I'm on Maria Street, sooo I should be at the park in 15 minutes."

"Grreat! Take your time. We're just waiting on you and Bert."

"Ok, see you in a few." Kai reached for the phone and hung up.

Kai hoisted the duffle bag unto her shoulder. She beeped the lock on the car and started to walk. She looked around for her friends. "They must've parked at the other entry point."

Kai trailed down one of the paths. She tucked her cell into the back pocket of her white jeans. "I'll run into them eventually. I believe the filming site was not too far from here."

She glanced up at the trees; the sunlight was peeking through the leaves. She embraced the crispy coldness of the morning. As if it had just occurred her that there was a slight chill, she hugged herself and rubbed her arms. The white sweatshirt she had gotten for her Annie cosplay was just barely warm enough. It looked thick but it was just the opposite.

A chilly breeze swept through carrying a small dust devil of leaves.

"_**I need to put on my Survey Corps jacket. It will add to the needed heat.**__**Naaah…I should 'man' up and endure the harshness of Mother Nature like a soldier."**_

Kia shivered violently. The hairs on her neck stood up momentarily. **"**_**Forget that. I'm putting that jacket on."**_

She stopped abruptly and lowered the duffle bag to the ground. She knelt and began to unzip the bag.

The bag contained the rest of her Attack on Titan cosplay: Annie's platinum blonde wig, the harness, a Survey Corps Jacket, and lastly Eren's wig. Her bag also included more make up for another cosplay she was going to do, Gokudera from Hitman Reborn. He was or at least thought he was Vongola's 10th mafia boss's "right hand man".

Tucked neatly under the mafia costume was a black airsoft hand gun. Kai wasn't certain how many pellets were loaded; she was merely borrowing the gun for the photo shoot after filming the pickup shoots of the Attack on Titan fan film.

Kai pulled out the jacket and slipped it on. She closed the bag. A light caught the corner of her eye. She stood up lifting the bag off the ground. She slipped it on her shoulder and approached the area where she thought she saw something. She stopped at the top of a steep slope that inclined toward a patch of muddy water. A branch cracked nearby.

Kai turned around in time for a fist to connect to her jaw. She took a step back.

"What the heck was that for!?" She looked at her attacker while holding her jaw.

"Payment." He answered. He looked past her. "I need you back Kai." He drew close to her and hugged her briefly.

Kai turned around to see what the stranger was looking at. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" She looked back to find the young man gone.

"Hello? Dude? I think there's been a misunderstanding; I think you have the wrong girl." Kai shrugged her shoulders and muttered under her breath, "As if this day couldn't get any weirder." She back down at the bottom of the slope. "What was he looking at? I don't see anything of any value."

"I'm sorry." Voice sounded familiar. The owner pushed her.

Kai twisted mid-air as she fell forward. The same guy who had appeared only seconds go had reappeared. His complexion looked as if it were normally olive but now paler. He had bronze eyes and a crew cut for a haircut.

"I'll see you there on the other side!" He called to her.

Kai hit the slope and rolled. Her duffle bag strap twisted around her arm. It seemed to slow her down, but she still kept going. She squeezed her eyes shut.

**"**_**How long is this slope again? I should be at the bottom by now. Please stop rolling."**_

The hairs on her neck stood up as a tingling sensation became apparent. It was as if she had become connected to an electrical circuit. Her body lost contact with the ground, as if she had gone airborne. Images blasted through her mind too quickly for her to recognize any of them. They blurred out her sight. She could feel her arms flailing like limp noodles.

Then she slammed into something hard that creaked. **"**_**A crate? What in the world is going on?" **_There was a shuffling of feet nearby.

"Let that be a lesson to you brat. I won't have you stealing from me any time soon, just because you're one of those survey brats doesn't mean you can take my merchandise for free."

Kai zoned out as the person continued to rant. She opened her eyes to see two men bending over her. Everything throbbed. Her hand slid over the black duffle bag which she had been carrying.

_**What the heck is going on? Did I hit my head on something hard at the bottom of the slope?"**_She rubbed the back of her head. **"**_**Yep, I must've done something like that. Where am I anyway? Why is this guy so furious? Can't see what his problem is."**_She stood up slowly.

"Did I tell you to get up?!" The man who had been speaking rammed her into the wall, instantly pinning her. "You will pay for those apples you stole. Do you know how many mouths I have to feed at home? I knew you survey brats were no good."

_**"What the fuzz ball is this man talking about? I didn't steal any apples."**_She cleared her throat. "Listen mister, I think you got the wrong," She paused. What had he called her? "There's obviously been some sort of mistake. I promise you, I'm not the type to steal. Especially fruit." She wrinkled her nose. "Frankly, I'm not interested in stealing your fruit or–"

"Cut the crap, this man here saw you take two apples from my stall." The man released his grip on her. "I'm going to have to report you, but first." He hesitated and glanced at his companion.

**"**_**Great there was a "witness". How are you ever going to get out of this one Kai?**__**God, he's not thinking what I think he's thinking."**_She pressed her hands against the wall. **"**_**There no way convincing this guy that he's got the wrong person. The only way I can see out of this one is running. I just hope that this stupid bag doesn't get in my way."**_Her eyes turned to the duffle bag. The man reached to grab her by the arm, but Kai shoved him aside and ran.

"Oi brat! Get back here! I'll report you!" The man hollered after her.

Kai glanced over her shoulder to see him pursuing her. **"**_**All this for fruit? Man, this guy seriously needs to rethink his life; then again he seems pretty desperate for some cash. I guess I can't blame him for that."**_

She ran out of the alleyway into a somewhat busy street. She plowed into the crowd.

"Stop her!"

Kai looked around for a way of escape. A cart was rolling at a rather quick speed, considering the busyness of the street. It had several crates lying around but for the most part was empty. Kai started to run after the cart. She grabbed the back of the cart. She kept going at the same pace as the cart before jumping in. She fumbled into the cart.

She sat up and looked for her pursuer. Misfortune was his as the crowd continued to get in his way. Although despite his situation, he was still bellowing after her while pushing his way through the crowd.

"A stowaway eh?"

Kai' attention snapped to the front of the cart. The passenger next to the driver had turned around. He was now getting up and climbing back.

The man's eyes drifted to the dirtied emblem of the survey corps. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Uh..." Kai's eyes looked ahead for some way of escape. "I….I." A sign hanging from one of the shops up ahead caught her eye. It read: "Linen's Apothecary"

"I was only dropping by to inspect your fine cart." She added quickly as the cart drew closer to the hanging sign. She inched closer to the side of the cart on which the sign was on.

"Nice to meet you sir." She added abruptly as she jumped and grabbed hold of the sign.

The cart rolled away just as quickly as it had when she had jumped on before. Kai looked up at her hands. How long could she hang on? Her arms started to ach from holding on for the brief amount of time she had been holding on.

There was a crack. The sign's post shifted downwards slightly. **"**_**Don't break on me baby."**_ She thought as she realized that the sign wouldn't be able to hold her weight for much longer.

Kai let go. She fell to the cobble street hard. _**"Remind me NOT to do that again."**_ She stood up and dusted off her clothes before looking back up at the sign. There was a noticeable crack at the base of the post where the sign jutted out from the building.

**"**_**Heheh, at least it didn't break. I wasn't so sure that it was going to hold, even if I'm pretty light for my height."**_ She turned around and started to walk away. **"**_**Sure, nobody saw that…"**_

After she had gotten a couple of feet away from the store, the sign fell. Kai jumped at the sound of it hitting the street. The people around her just turned heads to the storefront.

Kai walked at a brisk pace, while muttering to herself. "Just keep moving, nobody will realize that it was you. Just don't run, at least not yet."

She gradually made her way into another alley way where she slipped unnoticed. She watched as a breeze swept a wad of trash across the shadowy alley. She looked up at the laundry lines that hung in between the building. **"**_**Where the heck am I?"**_

She slumped against a wall and stared at the wall across from her. **"**_**I must have traveled to the past. I mean everything here seems to state that. The carts, the time grab, and even the apothecary sign. Even this was the case how did I end up here?"**_ She pictured the man with the olive skin and a crew cut. **"**_**That weird guy pushed me down that hill, but then I found myself here**_**. **_**How does that work out?**_**"** She ran a hand through her bangs, and then examined the state of her clothing.

Everything was dirty; it was as plain as that. The white hoodie and pants were the worst, mostly because well they were white. Mud and grass stains sullied them at random spots. Her survey jacket fared better although there was a tear on one of the sleeves. Mud also tarnished her boots which she had spent a good deal of time polishing late last night.

Kai reached back to her back pocket for her phone. The back pocket was empty. "Seriously?! I lost my phone! I just loaded more money on it. If that weirdo picks it up–UGH! I just don't get it! Why must I be victim to all of this?!" She covered her face with her dirtied hands and whispered quietly, "I don't understand."

Her hands slid down over her mouth. "I have to get out of here. I have to make it back to the park before the filming is over. I don't know how long I have been here. However long I have been here, it doesn't matter. I just have to get back as soon as possible."

Kai stood up. She stared at her hands which were shaking. She felt weak, maybe light headed. Despite that she ran out of the alley the way she had come. Her eyes darted around accumulating as much information around her; anything that would help her get back. Different voices from around her became overwhelming. She glanced back to see the main voice that stood out to her, and ran into someone.

Kai doubled back onto the road.

"Watch where you're going! Kai?"

Kai perked at the sound of her name. Someone knew her? She looked at the speaker hopefully.

He towered over her wearing an _Attack on Titan_ trainee jacket over an olive green button up shirt. His hair was short and ash brown on the top. Near his neck, his hair was darker.

_**"It can't be…no. Maybe I didn't travel back through time. Maybe this is one of those dreams that you get after thinking about something too much. There's no way that is really Jean. How would he even know my name?"**_ Her jaw dropped as the thought occurred to her.

"Where have you been? Why are you gawking?"

"Uhh…" Kai placed a hand to her mouth. "Where have I been?" She looked at the ground and then straightened herself, before standing up.

**"**_**Dang! This can't be. How is this even humanly possible? I'm…I'm talking to Jean! This must be a dream. Should I make something up, I mean if it is a dream then it shouldn't really matter."**_

"Well, spit it out." He looked over her. "Why are you such a mess?" He saw the jacket. "Don't tell me you stole that jacket." He pointed to her survey jacket. "If any of our subordinating officers sees you in that, you'll be doomed. Its bad enough we have to put up with Eren's rants. Don't be like him; he's just another loser who's going to be titan food one day."

Kai looked down at her jacket and then back up at him. "No, No! I bought it at…" She trailed. "I just, you know feel…" She hesitated. Was he buying it? What was she supposed to say?

"You bought it?" Jean ran a hand through his hair. He leaned and whispered harshly. "You know out of all the things you've done, this by far…Ugh! Come on!" He waved a hand. "We have to regroup with the rest of our squad before Keith finds out we were missing."

"Our squad? Who's our squad?" Kai asked slowly. She followed him.

"Don't mess with me Kai. You know Armin, and Annie." Jean called over his shoulder.

"Rrright…Wait! Why are you not with them? You're not one to get into trouble." She paced herself.

"Huh? Oh, I had to pick something up." He lifted up a small satchel. "Unlike you, I actually had something important to do for our mission."

Kai fumbled through the crowd. "Mission? Which one?"

Jean stopped and looked at her. "You're screwing around with me right?"

Kai stopped and placed a hand on the back of her neck. "Would it be bad if I wasn't?" She asked quietly.

Jean looked at her in disbelief. "You're not joking around are you? You never answered my question earlier; where did you go?"

Kai looked at the ground and swallowed. "You know about that. I don't know where I went. All I remember was this merchant accusing me of stealing his fruit. Even then my head was still pounding."

Jean looked at her blankly.

Kai looked up at him. "Where am I exactly?"

**A/N So whatcha think? Tell me in the reviews. I'm open to any opinions or criticisms on the content. I'm looking to improving my writing.**

**Special thanks to VidiaPhoenix** **for reviewing my story. Please check out her fanfictions. ^.^ Lastly thank you for reading.**


	3. Chapter 2 Training Grounds Pt 1

**A/N Hiya! I'll keep this sweet and short. DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything of Attack on Titan except for my OC's. Enjoy!**

Kai sat in the back of a rattling wagon. She had pulled her legs in tight, hugging them as if for comfort. She stared at the floor in disbelief. The pounding in her head had ceased. A crude bandage was wrapped around her head. Apparently she had struck her head on her tumble down that hill. There had been no blood, fortunately, just a bad headache. Why Armin had bandaged her head was beyond her.

She looked at him. The teenager sat in the far corner of the wagon next to Jean. He seemed to be watching the landscape go by as they entered HQ training grounds. Besides the sound of the wagon wheels turning, there was silence amongst the group.

"_**This isn't a dream or a nightmare. I would've woken up by now. I'm behind the walls of the Shingeki no Kyojin. There are titans here. I could die. I could die."**_ Her last thought echoed.

Her head jerked up when the wagon halted. The others climbed out through the back. Kai grabbed her bag and climbed out. She looked around, gripping the shoulder strap of the duffle bag with one hand while it rested on her shoulder. They had come in through the gateway up on the ridge behind her. The area before her was the place where the cadets stood when they first met Keith.

"Kai!"

Armin looked back at her. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Kai looked at the blonde coconut confused.

"Do you feel okay? Jean said something about you having a short term memory loss. I can show you to your room." He offered.

Kai watched as Annie and Jean walked across the grounds to one of the buildings, which kinda looked like an office building. "Uh, don't I have to be with you guys to give the mission's report?"

Armin placed a hand on the back of his head. "My, you do sound like you lost your memory. Your confusion is understandable. No, just our squad reporter, which is Annie, has to go. Here, I'll take you to your room." Armin reached to grab her hand.

Kai withdrew her hand before he could grab it. "That would be great." She reached up and touched the bandage.

Armin's hand retreated, as his blonde hair bobbed as he nodded. He gestured to her to follow him, which she did.

They walked until they came to a row of cabin looking buildings. Numbers were nailed to the door post of each cabin. Kai felt like she had just walked into a summer camp.

"By the way, I noticed that you were carrying a bag on the way back. You didn't have it when we left. Where did you get it?" Armin glanced at her.

"Uh, well, I had it with me when I left this morning—"

"Yesterday." A voice uttered impatiently.

Kai glanced to a girl leaning against one of the posts of the cabin. She was tall and wore a grey shirt. Her dark hair suited her tanned freckled skin. She pulled what looked like a toothpick out her mouth.

She continued to speak, "You left yesterday afternoon. Did you lose your brains Kai? Is that why your team is late?"

"Ymir." Armin smiled. "We just ran into some complications. Take it easy on her, she got into a fight while we were out and got seriously hurt. She's suffering from short term memory loss."

"_**You might want to make that long term Armin. I don't really know the works of this place."**_Kai interjected in her thoughts. She looked at the floor

"Yea?" Ymir's gaze turned to her. "You don't seem like the type to get into fights outside of the training grounds. A stupid joke maybe but not a fight." Ymir straightened and approached them slowly. "Are you sure, it wasn't a fight? Maybe an accident that you are covering up?" She got into Kai's face.

"Shouldn't you be checking on Christa? She doesn't like being left alone. Who knows when Reiner might show up." Kai spoke in a hushed tone. She looked at Ymir.

"Hmm…" Ymir leaned closer to Kai and muttered. "I don't know what your hiding, Kai, but I will get to the bottom of it." She stood up and tossed the tooth pick which had been in her mouth into the dirt. "I'll see you around, Kai." She smiled slyly over her shouldered before sauntering on.

"She sure was friendly." Kai replied sarcastically.

Armin raised his hands. "She's just hasn't gotten over the fight you two had last week. Things should smooth out eventually, just you see. Now, let's get you inside. Hopefully Mikasa or one of your other roommates can help you out."

"Wait?! I got in a fight with Ymir?! I thought she said I wasn't the type to get into a fight?" Kai resisted Armin nudge to move closer to the cabin.

"Did I say fight? I meant she was jealous of you? Now come on!"

"Armin." Kai looked at him sternly. "Spill it."

"Uh…" Armin blushed several shades of red. "I really have to get back to—" Armin turned and ran.

"Great." Kai replied sourly. "I already have one potential enemy." She looked at the door. **"**_**I wonder who sleeps in this cabin with me."**_

Kai walked towards the door and opened it slowly. She poked her head in and called out, "Hello? Anybody else here?"

There was silence as she proceeded to walk into the cabin. She closed the door behind her and scanned the cabin's interior.

The room was divided up by the bunk beds that lined either side of the room. There were about two bunk beds per side of the room. Belongings were strewn about the room, as if there was little time to clean, or the inhabitants were too lazy to clean.

_**"Laugh out loud, Levi would not be pleased." **_Kai stooped over and picked up a shirt from the floor. She laid it gingerly on a chair next to one of the bunks. **"**_**I seriously need to stop poking at him for his fondness of cleaning."**_

She stopped at the last bunk to the left. It was the only bunk that was actually tided. Both beds were made. The bottom one looked a little disturbed as if someone had been lying on it. Kai ventured a hand to touch the disturbed blanket. She pressed lightly. It was still slightly warm. Someone had been here. The top bunk had not been disturbed.

_**I wonder if this is my bunk. After all, Ymir mentioned something about me being gone since yesterday. It could be possible that–"**_

A door from the back creaked open. Kai stiffened. She took a step back towards the wall. Slowly she set her bag down. Her eyes focused on the back of the room where the sound came from. The view of the doorway was blocked by one of the bunks.

Bertholdt walked into the room. He walked over towards one of the messy bunks across from the one Kai was standing next to.

Kai watched as he hunched over a desk. She didn't know what he was doing nor if he was allowed in here. How had he failed to see her? She cleared her throat.

It startled him slightly. He turned around to see her. "Kai? Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"I noticed." Kai crossed her arms. What kind of connection did she have with Bertholdt?

"Are you looking for someone or did you just decide to snoop around others belongings?" She added bluntly. She looked at him nervously.

Bertholdt scratched his head. "Uh, yeah. I came in looking for Annie. I..I needed to ask her….to ask her a question. I thought it would be better to just write her a note since she's not here."

"Annie sleeps in here?" Kai asked out loud, not intending it to be a question.

Bertholdt looked at her confused. "Yeah, since we came here for training."

"Rrr-right, sorry. I drew a blank for a moment. I could take a message and tell her later when she gets here." Kai offered. She watched him closely. The poor guy was sweating profusely.

"No. No, that won't be necessary. I'll tell her another time in private." He hesitated and glanced at the front door. "I think…I will be on my way." He swallowed hard and left abruptly.

"Ok, that wasn't weird was it?" She walked over to the desk which Bert had been standing at.

Papers cluttered the desk. _"__**It's pretty obvious that he wasn't trying to leave a message. He was definitely looking for something, but since I was here he didn't get a chance to disturb the mess. Ha, disturb the mess. I like the way that sounds. Way to go Kai. Now stay focused."**_

Nothing seemed to stand out to her. It just seemed to be a paper strewn desk with the occasional book or two. There was a sealed inkwell on the far of the desk with a pen lying beside it. There was a small drop of ink beneath the nib of the pen. It was almost dried, but it was recent.

The front door opened. Kai turned around to see Mikasa walk into the room.

Mikasa stared at her. She observed her head wound.

"Armin said you could help me out. I seem to have lost some grip on my bearings. I had a little run in with some civilians during our mission." Kai replied breaking the silence between them. "I seem to have forgotten a thing or two thanks to that fight." She tried to walk causally towards Mikasa.

"Could you give this girl a point in the right direction? I don't remember which bunk is mine." Kai ventured.

"It's the one above mine." She pointed to the tidy bunk.

"Great! Thanks!" Kai walked over and picked up the duffle bag. She hulled it onto her bunk. "How hard is this thing?" Kai asked out loud as she noted the stiffness of the mattress.

Mikasa remained quiet.

**"**_**I hope this won't be like sleeping on a rock. I might just be better off sleeping at the floor. Geez."**_ She glanced at the floor. **"**_**Although, the mattress might be cleaner..hehe."**_

"How long have we been training for? I'm sorry." She looked shyly at the ground.

Mikasa walked over and placed a hand on the foot board. "We've been training for the last two years. Our exams will be in a couple of months."

Kai stiffened. **"**_**A couple of months! How am I supposed to learn 3DMG in a freaking couple of months! I have to find a way home before then. If I'm still here they'll find out that I'm an imposter. They must've mistaken me for another Kai. Funny, nobody has called me by my last name yet."**_

There was a bell in the distance. Kai looked at Mikasa confused.

"It's for dinner." Mikasa explained.

"Oooh, Ok." Kai answered as she followed Mikasa out of the cabin.

_**"It's dinner already? It feels like it would be more like lunch rather than dinner. I wonder what time it was when I got here. Was it lunchtime around then?"**_** Her stomach growled. "**_**Well, it may not be lunch, but I'm still hungry."**_

At the dining hall, Kai sat at a table next to Armin while sitting across from Sasha, Mikasa and Eren. She stared at the clump of brownish grey mush. Her stomach flip flopped. The only descent thing seemed to be the bread roll.

**"**_**No wonder Sasha is nuts about food. They don't have 'real' food. The officers probably have the good stuff. I mean where are the veggies? I can't believe they would fight with such poor excuse of food in their stomachs. Where is the nutrition in this mystery glunk? I'll have to join Sasha on her next raid on the officer's pantry."**_

Kai grabbed her bread roll. She looked at Sasha's puppy eyes, which were silently begging for her role. Kai rolled her eyes.

"Sasha, for the third time, please doesn't look at me like that. I need my food." Her stomach growled. She looked at her stomach half surprised that it had chosen to speak at that exact moment. "The stomach has spoken." She stuffed half of the roll into her mouth.

Sasha frowned, and then grunted before picking up her tray and moving over to Christa and Ymir's table. She dramatically dropped her tray on the table. The bowl of mush wobbled, almost spilling its contents. Sasha grabbed her spoon and scooped up a spoonful of the mush. She plopped the utensil into her mouth and glared at Kai.

Kai grimaced and shifted uncomfortably. "Is she usually that upset when she is denied food?" She looked at the trio.

"It depends who refuses to give her food." Armin replied. He took a drink before swallowing and adding, "She usually doesn't bother too many people for their food, just a select few. If one of those few deny her than yeah she would be upset."

"Uh huh." Kai shoved the rest of her roll into her mouth. She glanced at Mikasa and Eren who were silently eating.

**"**_**Man! I really want to talk to them but I don't know what to say. Andra was usually the talkative one out of the bunch of us." **_** She turned her focus to the pile of mush on her tray. **

"It's not that bad Kai." Eren pointed at the mush on her tray with his spoon. "You're going to need the food to keep your strength. Your support will contribute to defeating the titans."

Kai snorted. "Do you know what is in that gunk? Isn't bread enough?"

"Bread will only make you sluggish." Armin replied.

"Only if you eat large quantities of carbs will you feel drowsy." Kai countered back as she slammed a fist on the table. She stood up. "Don't they teach you guys anything about food in this joint?"

Silence fell on the dining hall. The door opened, and someone entered the room. Kai felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of her face.

"_**Crap, why do I have to be such an idiot? I should've not been so picky. Dammit! The last thing I need to make a scene. I'm so dead." **_

Kai turned around to see who had entered the room. A tall bald officer stood behind her glaring daggers at her. Dark shadowy circles made him look like a manic who hadn't slept in ages. It was one of the last people she had hoped to run into; Keith Shadis, head instructor of the 104th Trainee Squad.

"Is there something wrong with the food cadet Simens?"

Kai gulped. She felt her face turn bright red. "No….sir. I was just….just." Her eyes wavered to the crowd.

"You just what cadet? Speak up I can't hear you!" Thundered Shadis.

"Discussing how delicious this food," She scooped up some of the mush and shoved it into her mouth. It tasted like a mixture of kale, vinegar and maybe moldy cheese. She hacked as she tried to force it down. It wouldn't go down. She threw up, all over Keith's shirt.

She wiped her mouth and stared in horror of what she had done. "I'm….I'm so sorry! I….I didn't mean to…to… throw up on you!"

Keith looked down at his shirt in disgust. His lips curled into a snarl. "HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO YOUR COMMANDING OFFICER! To the kitchen! Now Cadet!"

Kai stumbled to get out of from behind the bench. She tripped and fell to the floor, her chin hitting it first. She scrambled to get off the floor. She saluted, thankfully with the correct hand. She turned to head out the back door where she thought led to the kitchen.

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR BRAINS TOO? YOU'RE HEADING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION!" Keith hollered after her.

Kai stopped and glanced at Armin for help. He looked away. **"**_**Come on Armin? Anyone? A little nudge in the right direction maybe someone to come to my aid? I guess my chances of that happening are pretty slim. I wish I could hide away into a dark corner like Annie."**_

Kai lumbered forward. She bowed her head, unable to look into the man's menacing eyes. "I…I..don't remember which way, sir. I had an accident earlier today—"

"Of all the bullshit lies I ever heard. This is one is the shittiest excuses I've ever heard. Get your lazy ass to that kitchen before I have you running laps around the grounds too."

Kai throat swelled. He didn't believe her. She swallowed hard, trying very hard not to have a break down. She looked up at him. **"**_**You can do this girl. Just smile this problem away and walk out the door you came in earlier. It's not your fault that you don't know your way around this area. You've never been here before. At least I don't think I have."**_

Kai smiled weakly. She held her arm and walked briskly out the door Shadis had come in. The door slammed behind her shutting off any comments Shadis had left for her. She shuddered, before peering into the darkness.

Now to find the kitchen.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Any thoughts? Please tell me in the review section. I'm open to any feedback. ^.^**


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